Album
Blackout
Blackout is the eighth studio album by the German hard rock band Scorpions, released in March 1982 through EMI. It followed Animal Magnetism from 1980 and came two years before Love at First Sting, so it sits right in the middle of the run that carried the band well beyond Germany.
The record did well in the United States, where it was certified gold in June 1982 and platinum in March 1984. Rolling Stone later placed it 73rd on its 2017 list of the 100 greatest metal albums. For anyone tracing how Scorpions became a major name in hard rock, this is a key stop on the way, and a record that has held its standing long after release.
Blackout: tracklist, credits and charts
9 tracks · 36:16Tracklist
- 1BlackoutSchenker, Kittelsen, Meine, Rarebell3:47
- 2Can’t Live Without YouRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine3:44
- 3No One Like YouRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine3:54
- 4You Give Me All I NeedRudolf Schenker and Herman Rarebell3:36
- 5Now!Schenker, Meine, Rarebell2:32
- 6DynamiteSchenker, Meine, Rarebell4:10
- 7ArizonaRudolf Schenker and Herman Rarebell3:51
- 8China WhiteRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine6:53
- 9When the Smoke Is Going DownRudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine3:49
- Produced by
- Dieter Dierks
- Recorded at
- Dierks Studios, Villa San Pecaïre, Villa San Pecaïre (Saint Jacques, Grasse, France) with Dierks Recording Mobile, Dierks Studios (Stommeln, West Germany)
- Recorded
- November 1981 – January 1982
- Mixed by
- Mike Beiriger, Dieter Dierks, Gerd Rautenbach
- Mixed at
- Dierks Studios
- Engineered by
- Mike Beiriger, Dieter Dierks, David Hewitt, Gerd Rautenbach
- Labels
- EMI, Harvest/EMI
- Length
- 36:16
Line-up
- Francis Buchholz · bass guitar, background vocals
- Matthias Jabs · electric guitar, slide guitar, acoustic guitar, background vocals
- Herman Rarebell · drums (drum set), percussion, background vocals
- Rudolf Schenker · electric guitar, acoustic guitar, background vocals
- Klaus Meine · lead vocals, background vocals
Singles
- “Now!” · March 1982 (Japan)
- “No One Like You” · March 1982
- “Can't Live Without You” · July 1982 (UK)
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200 · 1982 | 10 |
| UK Albums Chart · 1982 | 11 |
| German Albums · 1982 | 10 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1982 | 11 |
| Finnish Albums (The Official Finnish Charts) · 1982 | 12 |
| Swedish Albums · 1982 | 12 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 2015 | 27 |
| Dutch Albums · 1982 | 45 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) · 1982 | 47 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Canada · 1984 | Platinum |
| France · 1982 | Gold |
| Mexico | Gold |
| United States · 1984 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
71.6
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
5.2k
ListenBrainz listeners
106k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
1.4k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Released the same week
Also released on 8 March
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More from Scorpions
Full discography →
Lonesome Crow
1972
Fly to the Rainbow
1974
In Trance
1975
Virgin Killer
1976
Taken by Force
1977
Scorpions All Night Long 1978
All Night Long
1978
Tokyo Tapes
1978
Lovedrive
1979
Best of Scorpions
1979
Animal Magnetism
1980
Love at First Sting
1984
Best of Scorpions, Volume 2
1984
World Wide Live
1985
Believe in Love
1988
Rhythm of Love
1988
Big City Nights
1988
Savage Amusement
1988
Best of Rockers ’n’ Ballads
1989
Crazy World
1990
Still Loving You
1992
Extras
1993
Face the Heat
1993
Deadly Sting
1995
Live Bites
1995
Scorpions Still Loving You 2 1996
Still Loving You 2
1996
Live
1996
Pure Instinct
1996
The Real Sting
1998
Big City Nights
1998
Scorpions Eye to Eye 1999
Eye to Eye
1999
Scorpions Scorpions 1999
Scorpions
1999
Eye II Eye
1999
Moment of Glory
2000
Acoustica
2001
20th Century Masters: The Millennium Collection: The Best of Scorpions
2001
Classic Bites
2002
Bad for Good: The Very Best of Scorpions
2002
Box of Scorpions
2004
Unbreakable
2004
The Platinum Collection
2005
Humanity: Hour I
2007
Taken B-Side
2009
Sting in the Tail
2010
Comeblack
2011
MTV Unplugged in Athens
2013
La Selection Best Of
2014
Return to Forever
2015
Born to Touch Your Feelings: Best of Rock Ballads
2017
Rock Believer
2022
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 1982-03-08 vs 1982-04-10 (musicbrainz), 1982-03-29 (wikidata)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 10 April 1982 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 8 March 1982 | |
| Wikidata | 29 March 1982 | |
| US release | 1982 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1982 | earliest UK or European date |
24 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | GB | Harvest | 077774673228 | other |
| — | US | Mercury Records | 731453478626 | other |
| — | CA | Mercury Records | 777495964376 | other |
| — | US | Mercury Records | 042281888526 | other |
| 1982 | PT | EMI | other | |
| 1982 | DE | Harvest | other | |
| 1982 | GB | — | other | |
| 1982 | US | Mercury Records | other | |
| 1982 | JP | RCA | other | |
| 1982 | US | Mercury Records | other | |
| 10 April 1982 | — | — | 00731453478626 | original |
| 1984 | CA | Mercury Records | 042281888526 | other |
| 1984 | US | Mercury Records | 042281888526 | other |
| May 1985 | DE | Harvest | 5099915759818 | other |
| June 1988 | XE | Harvest | 077774673228 | other |
| August 1988 | DE | EMI | 077774673228 | other |
| 1989 | JP | Mercury Records | 4998011318399 | other |
| 5 November 1991 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988011328480 | other |
| 19 August 1997 | US | Mercury Records | 731453478626 | other |
| 26 October 2001 | XE | EMI | 724353515522 | other |
| 23 January 2002 | JP | EMI | 4988006797758 | other |
| 9 December 2014 | US | Audio Fidelity | 780014216429 | other |
| 6 November 2015 | XE | 2DF.enterprises | 4050538159325 | deluxe |
| 6 November 2015 | — | — | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 3661x3661, downscaled to 3000
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 3661×3661 | native: native 3661x3661, downscaled to 3000 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |